Coffee break creative writing exercise: Take five

Set your timer for five minutes. Write as quickly as you can. Don’t stop to think. Concentrate on filling the space with words rather than on getting it ‘right.’ Don’t worry if some of your ideas are a little crazy. Don’t worry about perfect spelling or grammar. The tidying up can be done later.

Jot down the following:

Five story titles
Five names
Five settings
Five emotions
Five first sentences

Pick one item from each list, set the timer for ten minutes and just start writing until the buzzer goes. Don’t worry if your ideas change as you write – for instance you may decide that the story should be set on a beach rather than in the middle of a wood – or that your character’s name is Sylvie not Samantha.

You should have enough raw material left over to enable you to create four more stories. Good luck!

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